The Plaguetotal redone!
by Peeper Stockwell
Summary: Bogg and thirteen year old Jeffrey land in a green light zone. While there, Bogg falls deathly ill and it's up to Jeffrey to save the day!
1. Green light, kid!

Phineas Bogg and thirteen year old Jeffrey Jones landed on a soft surface. HAY!

"Hey, we didn't land hard this time!" Jeffrey said, not willing to get off the bale of hay.,

"Yeah, it felt great, didn't it?" Bogg asked, giving his young partner a smile.

"It sure did, Bogg. My butt is tired of getting hurt all the time!"

Bogg pull the omni from his belt.

"Missouri, 1897. Green light,"

"Ahhhh, in a time zone where there's NOTHING wrong!" Jeff sighed as he laid on the hay. He stretched his legs and put his arms behind his head.

"What do you say we relax a little bit and then get something to eat?" Bogg suggested.

"Sounds good to me. I'm tired of your beef jerky!" Jeffrey moaned, closing his eyes.

The sun felt good on his arms and face. Jeff sighed with pleasure.

"Hey, at least it's free and filling. And, not to mention, FREE!"

"Yeah, well, I think it tastes awful!"

Reluctantly, the both of them got off the hay bale and started walking.

"Guess we could do some site seeing while we look for a place to eat," Bogg sighed.

"Yeah, sounds great to me. After two years of voyaging, I'm glad we got some r and r."

"So am I, Jeff. So am I," Bogg said and put an arm around the boy.

"You know, I wonder what we can find to eat in 1897?"

"Good question, kid. But, I AM kinda hungry for a hamburger."

"I'm not sure they HAD hamburgers in 1897, Bogg. But, it wouldn't do us any harm in finding out."

"Okay, let's go find some grub!"

So, the two head south, not knowing if that was where the restaurants were, let alone a town.

On the way to a town, Bogg and Jeffrey spot a dog walking towards them. It was a very nice looking golden retriever. So much so, Bogg decided to go up to it and pet it.

"C'mon, kid, it's a friendly dog!" he said, petting it as the dog licked his hand and wagged his tale.

"No, thanks. Bogg, c'mon. I'm hungry!" Jeff said, tired from all the walking he and Bogg have all ready done.

Bogg sighed. "Okay, okay."

He smiled at the dog. "Get walkin, dog. The kid and I are looking for some place to eat!"

The dog whined, but went his merry way.

"Ow!" Bogg said, as he slapped his neck.

"What's wrong?" Jeff asked, concerned.

"Just got bitten by a stupid flea. That dog must've been COVERED with 'em!"Bogg moaned as he scratched the area.

Jeff yanked his arm away. "Don't scratch it! It'll get worse!"

Bogg chuckled. "Okay, mother hen, I'll stop itching!"

A few minutes later, they finally find an eating place. Jeff was right, they didn't have hamburgers. Disappointed, Bogg decided to order chicken and mashed potatoes.

Jeff decided to order fish and mashed potatoes.

During dinner, they talked about what to do next while watching people in the restaurant.

They were able to find a place to stay for the night or the next couple of days.

The next morning, Jeff awoke, smelling eggs and bacon cooking at the restaurant across the street. He gets up and goes over to Bogg's bed.

"Bogg, wake up. I'm smelling eggs and..." he notices something strange about his partner.

Bogg is shivering, yet he is sweating and having trouble breathing.

Jeff's eyes went wide. "Bogg, stop it! You're scaring me!"

In the two years he'd been with Bogg, he'd never known the pirate to get sick. This was worrying him, mostly because he didn't know this time frame. Not only that, but he didn't know what was wrong with Bogg or what had caused it.

The mere thought of loosing the big guy scared him enough!

"Don't worry, Bogg! I'm gonna get help!" Jeff promised, as he rushed out the room...


	2. feeling helpless

Jeff knew he ran down the wooden stairs a little fast, but he didn't care. His short legs couldn't carry him fast enough!

He had to grab hold of the railing at the end of the stairs in order not to fall as he landed on the wooden floor. The desk clerk looked up from what he was reading and gave Jeff a dirty look.

"Young man, if you would--"

"Please, sir, I need to see a doctor!" Jeff said, making his voice sound urgent.

"You seem well enough. Is this a prank?"

Jeff sighed. "No, sir! It's my father. I couldn't wake him and he's got a fever--" Jeff wasn't sure about calling Bogg his father, but he also wasn't sure on how to explain to this man who Bogg actually was.

The desk clerk came away from behind the desk and put a hand on Jeff's elbow.

"Come, now. He can't be all that serious. Would you mind if I take a look?"

Jeff moaned. "If he weren't that bad, he'd be down here with me, going to get something to eat!"

"OH, stop it. May have a give you a second of opinion?"

The two went up stairs and Jeff opened up the door. Almost immediately, they could hear Bogg's shallow breathing and the desk clerk went right to him.

Jeff noticed Bogg had pulled off the blankets but was still shivering. The desk clerk felt Bogg's forehead.

"Dear God! He's burning up with fever!"

"I TOLD you he was sick!" Jeff told the man.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, son. Your father is very ill and is in need of a doctor,"

"Well, duh! I could have told you that!" Jeff rolled his eyes.

"Listen to me, son, very carefully. The doctor is a good half a drive away from here and I know where he is. You'll have to stay here and watch your father till I get back. Do you think you can handle that?"

Jeff nods. "What if he gets worse?"

"There is a nurse down the street. I'll let her know what's going on so she can come and check on you."

The desk clerk fills up a pitcher full of water and gets a towel from the closet. He walks back over to Jeff and puts the pitcher and towel on the little table near to Bogg's bed.

"Now, every now and then, rub his forehead with a cool wet towel. It will help keep the fever down,"

The desk clerk went to the door and turned to face Jeff. He saw the worried look on the boy's face, tears that were getting ready to fall.

"Don't worry, son. We'll get your father back to his old self again," the desk clerk forced a smile before he left the room.

Jeff sat there, helplessly. He dove his hands into the cool water and wrung out the excess water off the towel. He rubbed it on Bogg's forehead, praying that the pirate would soon come out of whatever was ailing him.

Memories of Bogg taking care of him came into his mind. Like the time when HE fell ill and then when his appendix had to come out. And then, of course, when he got bitten by a rabid dog...there were so many times Bogg had taken care of him. Now he had the chance to repay the man and here he was hoping that Bogg would get better soon.

Well, why shouldn't he? He wasn't used to taking care of Bogg. The old pirate, well, he...

"Jeffffff," came Bogg's voice.

"I'm right here, Bogg," Jeff said, straightening up.

Bogg opened his blue eyes. They were glassy and watery.

"Where are we?" Bogg choked.

"Missouri, 1897." Jeff told him.

"Green light?"

"Yep," Jeff smiled.

"Good. You can't get into trouble,"

"Me? Get into trouble? No way!" Jeff tried to joke, but his heart wasn't set on it.

Bogg lifted his hand and caressed Jeff's cheek.

"That's my boy..."

After saying that, Bogg's hand went to the bed and he fell back to a restless sleep. Tears finally sprung into Jeff's eyes.

_What am I doing this all alone for? I can't take care of Bogg!_

Aggravated, Jeff got up and went to the window. The desk clerk hadn't been away for a few hours yet and he's all ready feeling useless. He watched the people in the street hurry along to do their daily business.

"Bogg, you should see all the people in this little town! They sure dress funny!" Jeff allowed, as if Bogg could hear him.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Jeff went to answer it. It was a pretty brown hair girl.

"Hi, I'm Nancy Wilcox. I'm the nurse the desk clerk here told you about," she smiled to him.

"Hi. Please, come on in," Jeff allowed her to enter the room.

She went over to Phineas and put her hand on his forehead.

"Hmmmm, he's a bit cooler," she said.

"I just damped his forehead a few minutes ago,"

Nancy nodded. "That was a good thing to do and will help your father a lot,"

Jeff nodded.

Nancy looked over at the boy. "Would you like me to bring you something to eat? Or would you like to go to the restaurant?"

"No, I'll be all right. I'm just worried about my father. I don't think I could eat a thing,"

Nancy got up and walked over to him. She put a hand on his shoulder in sympathy.

"I understand how you feel, really I do. But, it won't do you OR your father any good if you were to get sick, too. Until the doctor gets here, we don't know what's wrong with him, so we have to keep up our strength."

Jeff sighed. He knew she was right and he also knew that Bogg wouldn't want him to go hungry. But, right about now he wasn't sure if HE could hold anything down or would even want to eat. He glanced over at Bogg and saw that Nancy had put the blankets back on him.

"Well, I guess I could go for some chicken. I had fish last night and what Bogg had looked pretty good,"

"All right, then. I'll go over and get you some chicken and salad. Be back in a few minutes,"

Nancy smiled over at him before she left.

"Alone again, Bogg." Jeff sat down on the chair.

"Sooo, what do you think? Think she's pretty??"

Bogg moaned.

Jeff chuckled softly. "Yeah, me too."


	3. waiting

The next two days were hard on Jeffrey. He felt so helpless that he couldn't do anything for Bogg but be there and wipe his face and forehead of cool pitchers of water he would refill every once in awhile to make sure the water was nice and cool.

Nancy would stop by three times during the day and made sure he had something to eat and get some rest. She would watch Bogg.

Finally, the desk clerk came in the room with a man with a white jacket and a black bag.

"My name is Doctor Samuel Burton. I hear we have a sick man in this room?"

"Yes, sir. It's my father," Jeff said.

Jeff had just then realized he hadn't gotten out of that chair for two hours or spoken. He got up and shook the doctor's hand. It felt warm and the shake was firm.

"Well, now, lets see what we have here."

Doctor Burton came over to Bogg and put his bag down on the bed. Bogg was still having trouble breathing.

The desk clerk came to Jeff and put his arm around the boy, who looked up at him. Jeff could see that the desk clerk wanted to help as well.

"By the way, son, my name is John Colbert." the desk clerk said with a smile. He offered his hand and Jeff excepted it.

"Jeffrey Jones. My father's name is Phineas Bogg,"

"Jones? Bogg? He's not your real father?" John asked.

"Not really. He kinda adopted me a couple years ago,"

"Kinda?" John blinked.

"Well, by mouth and heart." Jeff smiled, remembering that day on Christmas Eve.

"Oh,"

They both turned to face Bogg and the doctor who put down his stethoscope. The doctor looked up at Jeffrey and the boy didn't like the look on the doctor's face.

"Son, was your father bitten by something just recently?"

Jeff had to think back. Was it here or in the Amazons? Then he remembered the dog.

"Yes! He got bit by a flea from a dog he was petting a couple days ago,"

The doctor stood up to stretch his legs. This was going to be a long night...

"Jeffrey, your father has what we call 'the plague'. It's NOT contagious, so there is no need to worry. I have some medication that may help your father with the pain he'll be going through. But, there is something I MUST warn you about,"

"What is it, Doctor?"

"Your father may have hallucinations from time to time and it might be scary to watch. So, if you can't handle it--"

"Doctor, my father and I have been through a lot together. I can handle anything,"

Doctor Burton looked over at John, who shrugged his shoulders.

"JEFFREY!!" Bogg hollered, reaching out from the bed.

Jeff ran over to him, trying to pin his arms down.

"Bogg, it's okay. I'm right here," Jeff said quietly.

"Jeff..."

"I'm right here. It's okay," Jeff repeated, looking up at the doctor who nodded.

_Oh, boy_, Jeff thought.

Doctor Burton pulled John aside.

"Let me know if the condition worsens. We may have to separate the boy from his father,"

"Will do, doc." John nodded.

The doctor left.

"That's it? Just to tell me something that my father has and he leaves?" Jeff gasps.

"He went to get the medication, Jeffrey. He'll be right back,"

"Oh," Jeff said with relief and put his full attention back to Bogg.

The older man moaned in pain. _Where's my boy_, he wanted to know,_why can't I hear anything? See anything?_

He reached out again, calling out for Jeffrey. He felt young arms on him, hoping it was Jeffrey, but not sure.

Unwanted tears sprung in Jeff's eyes once again.

"I HAVE to do something! I can't just sit here!" Jeff pushed away a tear that fell from his left eye.

He knew it was okay to cry, Bogg had told him that years ago.

"_It takes more of a man to cry than NOT to, kid."_

"Perhaps you can, Jeffrey." said the doctor as he walked in.

"Can what, doctor?" John asked as Jeff stands up.

"He can help me find more medication. I just found that I have enough for one day and the next place that will have the rest of what we need is a two day drive from here,"

"Two day drive? But, I can't leave Bogg. I just can't!"

John went over to him and put his hands on the boy's thin shoulders.

"Jeffrey, listen. It's best that you go with the doctor,"

"But..."

"You can't do anything more here except to wait and you will go crazy if you did."

"Okay, okay. I'll go. I'm not gonna like it, but I'll go." Jeff sighed and looked over at Bogg, who was still wheezing and shivering.

"I'll go what we need for the trip and be back to get you," the doctor told Jeff.

"Okay. I just need to tell Bogg what's going on. Even if he can't hear me," Jeff said.

"I'll be back in a couple of minutes,"

The doctor left and Jeff went to Bogg's side.

"I don't wanna do this, Bogg. I don't! But, I know it'll help the doctor and we'll find the medictation that will help you. I'll be back, I promise!"

Jeff wiped Bogg's forehead for one last time before they left.

When Jeff left Bogg, the pirate had calmed down and even looked like he had gone into sleep...


	4. dreams

John helped Jeffrey onto the buckboard as Doctor Burton talked to Nancy.

Jeffrey wished he could hear what the doctor was saying, but he couldn't and he wasn't good at reading lips.

Finally, the doctor put his bag on the seat next to Jeffrey and climbed on board.

"Ready, Jeffrey?" he asked.

"Ready," Jeff nodded. He looked over at Nancy. "Take care of my father, will you?"

"He won't be alone, Jeffrey. I promise,"

"Thanks," Jeff tried to smile. His eyes went up to the window of the room where Bogg was laying.

"Giddiaup, Mosses!" the doctor hollered at the horse and the horse went to a gallop.

The first hour of the ride was an interesting one for Jeffrey. He just watched as they passed people and was amazed to even see a man walking with a lion on the leash!

He glanced over at the doctor, who merely shook his head. "That man should be hung for doing that to an animal such as that,"

They talked about medicines and illness's and what they would be doing for Bogg once they got back.

It started getting dark and Jeff realized how tired he actually was. He yawned and the doctor looked over at him.

"Go ahead and sleep, Jeffrey. I've driven so many of these kind of trips by myself, I'm used to it."

"Are you sure? I am kinda tired," Jeff said, feeling kind of funny on going to sleep on the guy.

The doctor smiled. "Trust me, Jeff. Sometimes there are days where I don't sleep. Nancy sometimes has to bolt my door in order for me to get any rest!"

"Okay, but wake me up when we're almost there, okay?"

"Sure thing, son."

Jeffrey didn't like the doctor calling him 'son', but he wasn't about to tell the man that. He slid down so that his head felt the back of the seat, folded his arms across his chest and went to sleep.

In the first few minutes of the sleep, he slept soundly. But, then the dream of Bogg came.

"_Bogg, where are you going?"_

_Bogg does not answer, but keeps walking, paying no attention to the little boy who was behind him._

"_Bogg! Please, stop!" Jeff hollers._

_There is a white light that came floating downward from the sky and Bogg looks up at it. Bogg turns to Jeffrey._

"_I'm going home, kid. Nice to have known ya," Bogg said softly._

"_NO!" Jeff screams._

The dream awakens Jeff.

"You all right, son?"

Jeff looks over at the doctor as he tries to catch his breath. "I am now. We've just gotta help my father, Doctor Burton. I don't think I could live one day without him!"

Doctor Burton pats Jeff on the arm and gives a wry smile. "Don't worry, son. He'll make it. It'll be a long haul, but, he'll make it."

Jeff believed the doctor, the tone in the man's voice said it. As he calmed down, Jeffrey's mind went back to Phineas. He hoped Phineas was doing all right.

Meanwhile, back at the town and in the small room, Nancy is wiping Phineas's head with a fresh cool towel. She had just given the man something to drink, which he swallowed with great effort.

Nancy looked out the window and noticed it was once again light out. How long had she been here? Had she gone to sleep? She couldn't remember. For the man in the bed was her main concern right now, she couldn't let that boy down. She just couldn't!

"Jeff..." the man moaned, he opened his sky blue eyes and looked over at Nancy.

She gave him a warm smile.

"He's not here, Mr. Bogg. He's with the doctor and they've gone to get more medication for you,"

"Jeff...not...here?"

"Yes, but they will be back by tomorrow. You just have to hang on, all right?"

"Jeff...my boy. Where's my boy??" Bogg moaned and closed his eyes.

In his mind, he dreamed of loosing Jeffrey. His boy, they want to take him away!

"_You are not fit to be a father for this boy, Mr. Bogg. He will stay here and learn the ways of the world as we see fit," the woman told him._

_Jeff looks up at him with hate in his eyes._

"_NO! He's my son! My partner! I love him!" Bogg screamed to people to didn't seem to hear him, watching them take Jeffrey down the hall._

"_JEFFREY! I LOVE YOU!" Bogg screamed, trying to reach out to the boy, but someone was trying to push his arms down..._

Nancy pushed the man's arms down, for fear he might hurt himself.

He must love this boy an awful lot to have a dream so bad.

"Jeffrey..." the man moaned before he went back to a restless sleep.


	5. just killing time

On the wagon, Doctor Burton looked over at Jeffrey, who was still in a haze.

"Care to tell me about the dream, son?"

Jeff looked up at him and gave the doctor a weak smile.

"I just miss my Dad is all," the boy shrugged.

"You two must have been through a lot together,"

Jeff nodded. "More than you'll ever know,"

Doctor Burton sighed. "You two aren't from here, are you?"

"Hmmmm,no. Why do you ask?"

"C'mon, Jeffrey. I noticed your father's cloths and the way you two talk. Are you telling me the truth of who the both of you are?"

Jeffrey moaned inwardly. He remembered Bogg telling him that their job is sworn to secrecy. What should he tell the doctor? Would the doctor believe him?

"My father and I are from a traveling show. We got separated before he got bitten, so here we are."

"And so here you are," the doctor said with a smile.

Jeff was satisfied with his answer and smiled back. He didn't feel really much like talking but he did so to make the older man happy,

He went back to his thinking on Bogg. How was the pirate doing? Was he breathing all right? Was his fever down?

Back at the hotel, Nancy had taken a break, thanks to John.

John sat near the bed and picked up the book he had brought up with him. He had put the cool cloth on Phineas's forehead. The poor guy was still asleep, if you would call it that.

Jeffrey enjoyed the nice cool breeze that hit his face and arms. He looked up at the sun and then back at the doctor. The doctor looked awfully tired.

"Hey, doc, I DO know how to ride a horse, so if you want to take a break, I can take over." Jeff said.

"I'm fine, Jeffrey, but thank you for offering. You know, rides like these allows a man to think on his own."

"I'm sure they do," Jeff said.

No matter how often he and Phineas went on their voyages, Jeff was always amazed at how different each time zone was.

"Do you miss not having a mother, Jeffrey?" the doctor asked.

Jeffrey was not ready for that question and it startled him. It had been like three years since his parent's death and he had almost no nights where he didn't dream of them. And Phineas had to do a lot with that.

"So much it hurts sometimes. But, my father helps me deal with it a lot."

"I'm sure he misses her, too."

Jeff merely nodded, not really sure on how to answer with that one.

To Jeff's relief, they finally came up to the town the Doctor had told him about. It was now dark on the second day of their traveling. He hoped Phineas was doing all right and hadn't missed him yet. The trip took longer than the two of them had thought.

Two men came up to meet them at the entrance of the town with guns in hand.

"What's your business here?" one of them, the tall, bigger man asked.

"I"m Doctor Burton, from the town two days drive away. I come here quite often to get medication that I might need of an emergency,"

"Who's the boy?" the man demanded, looking at Jeffrey.

"His father is the one who needs medication very badly. If we don't get it to him, he could die."

The doctor started up the horse, but the two men blocked the entry.

"You may not pass,"

"Why? Doesn't look like YOU need any medication! Please, I don't want to loose my father."

The two men look at each other, then laugh.

"Sorry, kid. No one can come through this time of night,"

Jeff started to get up, anger boiling inside him. But, Doctor Burton pulled him down.

"We don't want a confrontation, Jeffrey."

"But, they HAVE the medication! We need it, they don't!"

"There is another way,"

The doctor gave him the reigns.

"Keep them steady,"

Jeffrey nodded and took the reigns.

The doctor climbed down and confronted the two men.

Jeffrey didn't know what was being said, but suddenly, the two men were hitting the doctor!

He gasped and stood up. He didn't know what to do or where to run.

He just knew the doctor needed help and he needed help now!!


	6. together at last

Jeffrey knew he was a hard headed person, especially when it came to someone being hurt and he could help them.

Quite often Phineas would tell him to stay out of it, but NOT this time! Not when Phineas's life was at stake!

Angrily, Jeff jumped down from the seat of the wagon and ran to where the two men were hitting on the doctor.

Jeff flung his fists as high as he could and his fists made contact with someone's face.

"He broke my nose!" the man hollered.

"Son, you just did something very wrong here." the older one seethed.

"You DON'T understand! My father is verrry sick and desperately needs the medication. Please, I've all ready lost a mother. I don't want to loose him, too!"

"Awwww, Sam, he doesn't want to loose his father, too!"

That did it. All that anger and frustration just burst out of Jeffrey. He started kicking, punching, swinging at anything his fists would hit.

Some how, the two men gave up fighting Jeffrey.

"All right. NOW, WHERE'S THAT MEDICINE?!" Jeffrey demanded, his voice not sounding like his own.

It sounded older, meaner.

"We'll take you to it," the smaller man gasped as he stood up, holding his nose.

The taller one also got up. Jeffrey helped the doctor up his feet and they followed the two men to the nearest tent.

"In there," the smaller one grunted and opened up the flap of the tent.

Another doctor was in the tent, tending to a patient.

Jeffrey and Doctor Burton quietly walked in gingerly, hoping not to disturb the doctor in what he was doing.

A few minutes later, the doctor glanced up at the two of them and smiled.

"You two look more like patients than anything else!"

"Well, the doc here needs a little tending too, that's for sure." Jeffrey forced a smile.

"Jeffrey..." the doctor moaned.

"Don't try it, doc. I know that doctor's don't make the best patients,"

"We came here to get the medication for your father, not to 'heal' me."

Jeffrey slapped the doctor on the back. "You'll still be doing the driving, doc. As long as this guy has the meds we need, we can wait for you to get the attention you need."

Doctor Burton looked down at Jeffrey. "You must be as stubborn as your father,"

Jeff shrugged. "I learn from the best,"

The town's doctor tended to Doctor Burton's head and knees.

"The boy's father came down with the plague, doctor. I ran out of medication, that's why we came down here."

The town's doctor sighed as he stood up.

"We DO have a supply of the medication, but not much. We'll give you all that we have on hand,"

"Thank you, Doctor," Doctor Burton said.

Jeff was feeling of hope. Now just to get back to Phineas with out any problems.

The trip back was lighter than the trip to the town. Jeffrey was able to sleep for awhile with no dreams of Phineas.

Suddenly, they were back in town. Doctor Burton woke Jeffrey as they entered the town.

Jeffrey straightened up once he saw the hotel and the light still on in the room Phineas was in. They got off the wagon and the doctor held the precious box that held the medication for Phineas.

Jeffrey ran up the stairs and dove into the room. John and Nancy were both in the room.

"What's wrong?" Jeff demanded, noticing that Phineas was still in bed.

The two turned to face him.

"Oh, nothing, Jeffrey. We're just keeping each other company, that's all." Nancy told him.

"Welcome back, you two!" John smiled.

Then he saw Doctor Burton.

"What in the world happen to you?"

"We ran into some ruffins,"

"Ruffin? What about you, Jeffrey?" John asked, noticing Jeff's hands.

"Oh, just my anger got the better of me. They weren't going to let me and Doc go through and I just let them have it."

"Good for you, son!"

Meanwhile, Doctor Burton was administrating the medication into Phineas.

Doctor Burton looks up at Jeffrey. "It might take awhile for the medication to work," he warns Jeff.

"It's okay. As long as he makes it,"

"He has a chance now, son." the doctor smiles.

Two days later, Phineas wakes up to look at Jeffrey asleep next to him on the bed.

"Is he.." Phineas wanted to ask.

"He's fine, Phineas. Just tuckered out,"

"You'd be proud of him, Mr. Bogg. He's a very fine young man," Nancy smiled.

Phineas tightened his arm around Jeff, who just squirmed in his sleep.

"I all ready know," Phineas smiled back.

His dream hadn't come true. No one had taken his son away and they never will...


End file.
